Barefoot in the mud AT 1945 ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1987, two nine-year-old boys were seen by the station honorary secretary and motor mechanic at Lytham St Annes lifeboat station, taking a punt across the River Ribble to the opposite bank, where they were observed walking on the sands.

It was decided to inform the local coastguard auxiliary, who relayed the message to Liverpool Coastguard MRSC and at 1957 a request was received to launch the station's D class inflatable lifeboat to retrieve the two children before it got dark.

When the lifeboat reached the south .side of the river the children ran away.

The D class returned to the jetty opposite the boathouse to pick up additional crew members as the light was failing rapidly.

Emergency Mechanic Paul Sumner volunteered to chase after the children, who were heading across dangerous mudflats towards Southport.

He was ferried across to the opposite bank by the D class lifeboat and ran for two miles barefoot before finding the two boys lost in the dark, frightened and crying.

The children were taken back to Lytham and handed into the care of the police who took them to their respective homes.

Following this service a letter of commendation signed by the chief of operations. Captain George Cooper, has been sent to Emergency Mechanic Paul Sumner..